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Lady Cougars try to stay perfect in C-USA

By Christian Schmidt
The Daily Cougar

Three down, 11 more Conference USA games to go.

The Lady Cougars are out to a 3-0 start in C-USA play, having grabbed three road victories, including an important win Sunday against Texas Christian, ranked No. 21 by The Associated Press. Houston (14-2 overall, 3-0 in conference) has a tough task ahead with two home games against Cincinnati (10-8, 1-3) at 7 p.m. Friday and Louisville (10-7, 2-2) at noon Sunday.

The TCU win helped catapult Houston into the last spot on the AP top 25, where the Lady Cougars made their first appearance in the poll in more than a decade.

"I'm really excited. It's like a dream come true," senior guard Chandi Jones said. "One of my goals coming here was to get this program to be ranked."

Jones has been instrumental in the team's success and was particularly valuable in the win against the Lady Horned Frogs. In that game, she had 32 points and eight rebounds on her way to earning C-USA Player of the Week honors for the second time this season.

"I thought we stepped up in that game," Jones said. "We played a lot harder in the second half and really came through."

Beating TCU was critical for the Lady Cougars not only because it gained Houston credibility among poll voters, but also because the game was broadcast on national television. It also proved that the Lady Cougars will be a contender for the C-USA title.

"It was huge exposure, both for us and them," head coach Joe Curl said. "As a team, you love to be in that situation, where there's high intensity. I try to help the girls keep things in perspective and have fun."

For the first time in the conference's eight-year history, three C-USA women's basketball teams are ranked in the AP top 25: No. 16 DePaul, No. 21 TCU and No. 25 Houston.

And both Cincinnati and Louisville have received votes in both major polls, though neither got any votes in the most recent polls.

Even more impressive is the fact that Houston has played all but four of its games away from home. The Lady Cougars are 10-1 on the road and 1-0 on a neutral court this season. Houston closes the season with seven of its last 11 games at home, making for a chance at a favorable finish.

After a 9-5 start to the season, Cincinnati has stumbled in conference play, losing its first three contests before bouncing back with a 66-62 win over Saint Louis.

The Lady Bearkats are led by the inside-outside duo of junior forward Debbie Merrill and senior guard Valerie King. Merrill leads the team with 16.3 points per game and King is second with 13.9.

"Cincinnati and Louisville will both be great battles for us," Jones said. "We have to protect our home court."

Louisville also started strong, going out to an 8-5 record before losing its first two conference games to DePaul and Marquette. The Lady Cardinals have since won their last two games against Saint Louis and Memphis.

Senior point guard Sara Nord is the undisputed leader of the team. The diminutive Nord might be the best point guard in the country. At 5-5, she leads the Cardinals in scoring at 17.5 points per game, assists with 6.6 per game and steals with 3.1 per game.

"We're trying to just concentrate on the next four minutes, not even the next 40," Curl said. "There's a media timeout every four minutes, so if we can beat our opponent in each four-minute stretch, then we'll win the game."

The Lady Cougars are ready to take it four minutes at a time. The first four minutes begin when Houston takes on Cincinnati at 7 p.m. Friday at Hofheinz Pavilion. Admission is free to UH students.

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